PNC’s Basil Blackman resigns from Executive Committee over lack of consultations

Executive Member Basil Blackman of the Peoples National Congress Reform (PNC/R) has tendered his resignation from the party’s Central Executive Committee, citing his disappointment with the lack of consultation on a number of decisions.

In his resignation letter, dated October 14, 2020 and addressed to that party’s General Secretary Amna Ally, Blackman indicated that his resignation from the party’s Central Executive Committee takes immediate effect.
“I have made this decision with a heavy heart, but for the good of my conscience, it is for the best. Several key decisions do not sit well with me, and as such I feel as though the executive no longer serves its mandated purpose, since decisions are made without consultation,” the party member stated in the letter.
According to Blackman, he is now stepping aside to make way for a younger candidate to function in his capacity on the Executive Committee. However, he noted that he will continue to serve in the best interest of the people of Guyana.
The letter was also sent to PNC/R Leader David Granger and Chairperson Volda Lawrence.
Blackman’s resignation comes on the heels of the PNCR – which is the leading party in the APNU alliance – being embroiled in disunity and internal power struggles that have been played out publicly in recent months. Reports are that senior members within the PNC are dissatisfied with the performance of current Leader and former President, David Granger, blaming him for the party’s defeat at the 2020 polls.
In fact, there was uproar over the Coalition’s list of Members of Parliament, who were handpicked by Granger with little to no consultation within the coalition.
Notably, PNCR stalwarts such as Chairwoman Volda Lawrence; Party General Secretary and Chief Whip in the 11th Parliament, Amna Ally; and former Chairman Basil Williams were excluded from the Coalition’s list of MPs.
This sparked outrage among some party members, including former MP James Bond, who himself was also left out of the parliamentary list. Bond went on a public tirade against Granger on social media, criticising the PNC and its current leadership for not consulting with the party’s membership before making its decision regarding parliamentarians.
Additionally, the selection of the parliamentarians resulted in two of the five parties – the Working People’s Alliance and the Justice For All Party – resigning from the APNU, which is the majority party in the Coalition.
Meanwhile, only in the recent past, the AFC also had a tug-o-war with its majority coalition partner. The party had to settle for a 30-70 per cent division of parliamentary seats – a significant reduction from the initial 40-60 per cent arrangement.
However, the tense relations between the two coalition partners worsened last month when controversy arose over the election of the Vice Chairman for the Region Four Regional Democratic Council (RDC) – a post that was supposed to be given to the AFC based on a previous agreement, but instead went to an APNU nominee.
This situation resulted in the AFC General Secretary David Patterson resigning from the post.
It was reported that Patterson had helped craft the agreement, which stipulated that the AFC would get the Vice Chair positions in Regions Seven and Four.
At the election, AFC had nominated Neilson McKenzie for the Vice Chairman position, APNU nominated Samuel Sandy and the PPP nominated Desmond Morian. Voting was along party lines, as APNU and PPP cast their 14 votes each for their candidates, and the AFC, with its five votes, backed McKenzie. The Chairman, APNU’s Daniel Seeram, then used his deciding vote to elect Sandy.
Since it came into office after joining forces with the APNU in 2015, the minority AFC has been criticised for the submissive role it has been playing to the abusive APNU.